Cheap flights to Lithuania

A Baltic state, along with Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare its independence (in 1990) and joined the European Union in 2004. Since then more and more travellers have searched for cheap flights to Lithuania, some for hen and stag weekends and others for city breaks to soak up the atmosphere of the postcard-pretty capital Vilnius. Next year will attract even more tourists. Not only will Lithuania celebrate its millennium, but Vilnius will become the European Capital of Culture.

More than three million people are expected to visit Vilnius in 2009. It is Prague-like pretty with a magnificent cathedral, Unesco-listed Old Town, cobbled-stone squares and ornate buildings.

Kaunas is the second city and a former capital. Its Old Town has a remarkable concentration of historical buildings such as the ancient castle, cathedral, and Old Town Hall alongside the restaurants, bars, galleries and shops.

The country’s most spectacular natural feature is the Curonian Spit, which divides Lithuania and Russia. Palanga is the star of the Baltic Coast with white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. It’s also the place to find amber, washed up after storms at sea.

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Lithuania climate

Summers are warm and sunny, with temperatures averaging 17 degrees. Very hot days can reach 30 degrees. Rain falls all year, even in the summer, but winters are cold with snow. The average winter temperature is -5 degrees.

When is the best time to fly to Lithuania?

Peak Season

The summer months are mild and the best time to seek flights to Lithuania. This is when temperatures are most comfortable.

Off Season

Winter is generally off-season, but this is a popular time with skiers, snowboarders and ice fishers.

Getting around Lithuania

In the cities, there are several ways of getting about: bus, trolleybus, minibus or taxi.

Domestic Lithuania flights are available with Lithuanian Airlines (flyLAL – www.flylal.com). The airline connects Vilnius with Palanga.

Lithuanian Railways operates services from Vilnius to Kaunas, Klaipeda and Siauliai.

There is a comprehensive bus service in Lithuania. Kautra (website: www.kautra.lt)

Getting about by rental car – main roads are usually in good condition. In more remote parts of Lithuania, roads may be unsurfaced.

There are ferry services between Klaipeda and the Curonian Spit.

How long is the flight to Lithuania?

Flights to Lithuania from Hong Kong vary in length depending on the airline and route. You can arrive at the Vilnius International Airport (VNO) in 31h 5min on a flight with two stops at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Copenhagen Airport (CPH). With other Lithuania flight deals, you can arrive at Lithuania in 20h 40min, but the flight includes three stops at Zurich Airport (ZRH), Vienna International Airport (VIE), and Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW). Another route involves Lithuania flight deals from the Hong Kong International Airport to Riga International Airport (RIX) via Bangkok International Airport (BKK) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), taking 22h 15min.

Where can you get direct flights to Lithuania from?

Unfortunately, direct flights from Hong Kong to Lithuania are not currently available, but you can find the fastest and cheapest routes available here. Flights from Hong Kong International Airport via Zurich Airport, Vienna International Airport, and Warsaw Chopin Airport generally offer the fastest route.

What is the best way to travel around Lithuania?

Lithuania has a very user-friendly transportation system. From the public transport system to road networks, there are plenty of options for travelling around the country. The first option you can use is car hire, which allows you privacy and freedom to explore towns and remote villages. You’ll get car hire in all major cities, and the roads are generally good quality. Driving around Lithuania is easy, as four-lane highways connect major cities like Klaipeda and Kaunas. To hop between major towns, you can use the extensive bus network. However, bus services are sometimes seasonal, especially in small villages and towns. If you’re going between major cities, Lithuania offers a train service. Local train services are operated by Lithuania Rail, which has regional hubs in Kaunas, Vilnius, and Klaipeda. Whether you take a train or the bus depends on the route. Destinations like Kaunas and Klaipeda may be better accessed via bus.

What are some things to do in Lithuania?

There are several sites in Lithuania that visitors can explore. First on the list is the Curonian Spit National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At this site, visitors can explore a range of massive dunes and pine forests, and you can find rare flora and fauna here. Second, visitors love Kaunas, the city of museums. Popular museums in the city include the Lithuania Aviation Museum, Museum for the Bling, Stumbras Museum, Devil Museum, and the Atomic KGB Bunker. To further explore Lithuania's history, you can visit Vilnius, a historic capital founded in 1323. The city’s old town is the biggest in Europe, earning a UNESCO Heritage site ranking. At the capital’s heart, you’ll find the beautiful Gediminas Square, dominated by a classical cathedral. Visitors can also explore several Vilnius churches, including St. Paul’s Church and St. Ann’s Church.

Do I need a passport or visa to fly to Lithuania?

Lithuania is situated in the Schengen Zone, so Hong Kong citizens travelling to the country don’t need a visa. This means you can stay for 90 days without a visa.

What is good to know if travelling to Lithuania?

• Visit Grutas Park, also known as Stalin World, which opened in 2001. It’s a home for the Soviet-era statues that were “retired” when Lithuania gained independence from Russia. Along with the statues of Stalin, Lenin and Maryte Melnikaite, barbed wired, watchtowers and deportation trucks are children’s playgrounds, a stage for entertainers and bars and restaurants. It’s about 130km (80 miles) from Vilnius.
• The Curonian Spit extends from Kaliningrad to, very nearly, the Lithuanian mainland. A five-minute ferry crossing links the spit with Lithuania. Under the ever-shifting sands are the remains of old, deserted villages. Reforestation projects have maintained the land however and today it supports a few villages and small towns. Palanga is the most popular resort. The soft, white beach is backed by sand dunes and not much else. There are no beachfront hotels or holiday homes, just enough for a get-away-from-it-all holiday.
• While visiting Palanga, visit the Amber Museum and the Palanga Botanical Gardens. The museum is housed on the former estate of Count Feliksas Tiskevicius. Fifteen rooms exhibit about 4,500 pieces of amber, some with trapped insects or plants as well as intricately carved pieces of jewellery.
• Pilies Gatve is the shopping street in Vilnius. You’ll find, in the shops here, almost every type of amber jewellery you could imagine. Depending on how many litas you have left, the choice will be a piece of amber … or some marzipan.
• Nida is an upmarket holiday resort on the Curonian Spit. A town that attracted the arty and bohemian crowd, Thomas Mann, the Nobel Prize-winning writer, lived here in the summers of 1930- 1932. His summer cottage is a cultural centre with a small memorial exhibition. Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir also visited Nida in the 1960s.
• Ice-fishing is not something very many travellers seek cheap flights to Lithuania for, but in a land of 3,000 lakes it’s a very popular pastime. Lake Galve in the Trakai region is an idyllic setting. There is a sturdy red-roofed castle on an island in the middle of the lake. About 29km (18 miles) from Vilnius, all you’ll need to bring is a milking stool to sit on, an ice drill and a rod and reel.